


Ar Tonelico: Singers of Hope

by sleeping0dragon



Category: Ar tonelico
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-09-12
Updated: 2017-09-11
Packaged: 2018-12-26 17:33:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 20,727
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12063762
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sleeping0dragon/pseuds/sleeping0dragon
Summary: After a devastating war, the region of Sol Ciel enjoyed relative peace, but that would come to an end when a new type of Virus make its appearance in Platina. To prevent the destruction of his home, a young man is tasked to find a sacred crystal in an unknown land while being assisted by a number of allies including 2 special singing maidens.





	1. The Journey Begins for the Knight of Destiny

** Chapter I: The Journey Begins for the Knight of Destiny **

"Hah!" With one powerful swing of his blade, the young blond man caused the surrounding trees to violently shake from side to side.

Lyner Barsett had just swung his blade for the thousandth time this morning, a strict daily routine that had started a few years ago. After wiping the sweat on his forehead with his arm, he relaxed his muscles and admired his beautiful large backyard filled with a number of shiny glistening green plants and vegetation, one of the few places where they existed within the constantly cold city of Platina. For him, his backyard was a perfect place to retreat and be alone considering that it rarely has any visitors, including his father who was constantly working.

"Phew, it's just about time for a break," he said before lying down on the grass. "A nap is always the best reward after a long workout." He murmured and closed his eyes, a blissful expression appeared on his face. His nap was cut short however when the large device on his wrist began to beep loudly. With a irritated groan, he got on his feet and pressed a button on the device.

"What is it, Ayatane?" Lyner asked without even attempting to hide his annoyance.

_"Hmm? Did I wake you?"_ Ayatane surmised with a soft chuckle.

"Like you don't already know. I always take a short nap after my workout."

_"I know. That's why I'm calling to remind you that our squad's patrol will start earlier today. I was quite certain that you'd forget."_

Lyner scratched his head after listening to Ayatane's words. "I feel like I remembered...or not...When was this announced?"

_"Remember last week when squad 3's captain asked us to switch with his squads' time because he had something to do today? I recalled a certain someone agreeing to the proposal without a second though."_

Lyner could hear an audible sigh coming from the other end of his device. "O-Oh yeah. Now I remember. Ha ha ha ha. Thanks for the reminder."

_"Our shift starts in about 40 minutes so get ready."_

"I'm on it...Although, my dad told me to go to the Cathedral before my shift so I'll stop by there first. If I'm late, just go ahead without me. I'll try to catch up."

_"I'll relay that to our captain,"_ Ayatane said before hanging up.

"Awwww, no more time to relax on this beautiful day." Lyner quickly showered and changed from a plain t-shirt and shorts to a thick short sleeved brown shirt and dark leather pants. He also donned his white cape with a white gauntlet on his left arm. Finally, he attached his shiny white blade to his belt so he now looked like the many other Elemia Knights.

* * *

Platina wasn't a large city, but it did took some time to get from one point to another. Lyner hitched a ride on a trolley near the residential area and traveled across the city. Life was relatively peaceful and it was mostly thanks to the Elemia Knights such as Lyner for maintaining that peace. He smiled as he watched the many citizens of Platina happily continue on with their daily lives.

_"I'll do whatever it takes to keep protecting these people and this place I call home."_

Rather than continuing all the way to the cathedral, he stopped at the nearby Apsaranika Park. This large recreational area is the main plaza of the city. With a large playground, a tall hill that overlooked much of the city, and several diverse food stands, restaurants, and department stores, it was usually the most liveliest area of the city. There were even times when he perched on top of a rooftop and admired the view before he was yelled at to come back down.

Probably the most famous part of the park was the massive Statue of the Songstress and the Guardian. Lyner stood in front of it and admired the shine that reflected from it. The Songstress was a young woman that was in the middle of singing a song while the Guardian was a swordsman who sat near her, listening to her song while keeping his attention on the surroundings.

"Truly beautiful isn't it?"

Lyner turned around and saw a man wearing a small white chef's hat who was also admiring the statue. "Ah, Tencho. Didn't notice you there."

"For you to not notice my presence, you must have really been engrossed with the statue. Even though you normally just past by it without much thought." Tencho stroked his small beard and smiled at Lyner as if he caught him doing something embarrassing.

Lyner shrugged his shoulders. "You're right, but for some reason, I just had the urged to admire it today."

"Well, nothing wrong with that. It's a beautiful statue after all that reflects the special bond between Reyvateils and those that protect them. I think it was also modeled after a legendary Reyvateil and her protector from ancient past. I read it from a book I found in the library. Pretty romantic don't you think?" Tencho playfully elbowed Lyner.

"Hmm...I guess. Although, I'm not much of a reader."

Tencho's smile quickly turned upside down as he shook his head disappointedly. "What about the Reyvateil in your squad? Anything between you and her?"

"Not really. There are two other people in the squad. And besides, I think she likes our captain."

"What! A relationship between a Reyvateil and her protector, that's like every man's dream!"

"I don't really think that's true..." Lyner quietly denied.

"If only I can live that dream!" Tencho grabbed his head and shook his body. "But I had no physical skill whatsoever so I wasn't hired. Curse my weak body."

Lyner watched Tencho awkwardly squirm around on the ground and looked for a few words that would ease his problems, but instead, his stomach began growling. "Oh yeah, do you have any Funbuns left? I skipped breakfast and now I'm starving."

"Funbuns?" Tencho stopped squirming and stood straight up. I have a few left that I haven't sold yet."

They walked to the nearby food cart with about half a dozen golden colored buns shaped liked a small bird behind a glass compartment.

"I'll take that one," Lyner said, pointing to a Funbun that was slightly larger than the rest.

"Okay, that'll be 70 leaf."

After he made the payment, Lyner chomped into the piping hot bun and savored its taste.

"You really do like Funbuns don't you?" Tencho asked with a large grin.

"Of course. One of the best parts of life. I don't know what to do if you're not around."

"If only there were more people like you." Tencho sighed with disappointment before he suddenly recalled something. "Since you're already here, let me show you something." He began searching through his large bag near his feet.

"What is it?" Lyner asked after finishing his Funbun.

"This." Tencho pulled out a t-shirt with a picture of a Funbun printed on it. "I've finally completed the prototype for the Funbun T-Shirt after you gave me the idea for it."

Lyner held the shirt in front of him and admired the Funbun print. "That's great! I'll take one. How much?"

"Not for sale my friend." Tencho took back the shirt with a grin. "This is just the prototype. But tell you what though, I'll send you a free one after I mass produced it."

"Thanks a lot!"

"No thanks needed from my best customer. And that reminds me..." Tencho took out a small photograph and handed it to Lyner.

"What's this?"

"You know how I like reading old texts in the library right? Well, this picture fell out of one of them. Can you find out who this girl is?"

"...What girl?" Lyner furrowed his eyebrows. "I see a lot of people walking and talking to each other in this photo."

"Look more closely, at that girl in the background," Tencho ordered, pointing a finger at the top of the photograph. "See her now?"

Lyner focused on the aforementioned spot. "Yeah, I think I do."

"Pretty cute isn't she?" Tencho asked with a wide grin on his face.

Lyner spent the next minute quietly examining the photo with a young girl casually walking near the group while eating an ice cream cone. Her long light blue colored hair fluttered behind her as if the wind was gently blowing on them. There was something nostalgic about her that he couldn't quite put his finger on.

While Lyner continued to examine the photo, Tencho continued. "She seems to be around 15-16 years old. Pretty young for my taste, but it should be fine for you. Although I don't think she's alive anymore. Based on the text I was reading and the photo's condition, the picture was probably taken hundreds of years ago."

"Then why are you asking me to find out who she is if she's likely dead already?"

"Seeing as how you're Commander Leard's son, I thought you could get access to a database or something for the people who lived here. I'm more interested if she has any descendants still alive though, particularly one that is my age."

"...I guess I could look into it."

"Thanks, I could always count on you." Tencho took Lyner's hand and vigorously shook it.

"How about letting me have this photo as payment?"

"Why do you want that for?" Tencho's lips quickly curved into a wide smirk. "Don't tell me you want to use that photo and...Well, you're a healthy growing young man after all. I won't judge."

"That's not it!" Lyner spat. "I just...kind of have this weird nostalgic feeling whenever I look at it."

"Why would you feel nostalgic about it?"

"I don't know, I just do."

"Well, I guess you can have it. I don't have much use for it anyway."

"Thanks."

"You're welcome. Speaking of which..." Tencho looked up at the sky and furrowed his eyebrows. "How long has it been since you showed any interest in a girl?...I think it was when _she_ left wasn't it?"

"She?" Lyner looked at him with a puzzled expression before his eyes winced as a surge of pain ran through his head.

"Ah actually, forget I said anything," Tencho quickly said with a flustered expression. It didn't appear that he noticed Lyner's momentarily state of pain. "Anyway, aren't you supposed to be heading somewhere?"

"Huh? Oh yeah." Suddenly remembering his appointment, he said, "I'm probably running late now so I gotta go. And can you drop this photo off at my home? I don't want it to get damaged during my rounds."

"O-Oh okay."

Lyner hurriedly headed off toward the Grand Cathedral, wondering about whether he had actually had an headache of sorts.

* * *

Platina's Grand Cathedral was one of the largest structures in the city. It covered nearly an entire neighborhood block which was understandable, given the fact that the Cathedral was where Platina's leaders gathered in making decisions that affected the entire city's day to day operations. It was a majestic place that invoked feelings of awe and wonderment, but not to Lyner. He hated this place.

After stepping through the massive and heavy double doors, he entered a large room full of busy workers. "Hi, I'm here to see my da-I mean...Commander Leard," Lyner said to the nearby receptionist.

"Please go on through. He's already waiting for you."

With a heavy sigh, Lyner went further into the cathedral until he reached a small altar at the end of a long hallway.

"You called for me?" Lyner grumbled.

"Hmph," the middle aged man standing at the altar replied with a grunt. He wore a white robe and black shoulder pads and along with his eternally stern face, created the impression that he was some kind of evil wizard or sorcerer. However, he was actually the second in command of the city and had incredible political influence and power. "How many times do I have to remind you to fix that attitude of yours while you're here?"

"Maybe one more time," Lyner mumbled with defiance.

Leard scowled at Lyner's response, but decided to quit while he's ahead and didn't bother saying anymore about it. "So? Have you given some thought about working with me here as a government official?"

"What?! That again?" Lyner shouted with anger. "I told you that I'm not going to quit the Elemia Knights. I can't just sit behind a desk while the other knights and Lady Shurelia are protecting the city from the Viruses."

"You fool! The knights and Lady Shurelia will do fine without you. What this city needs more is a capable leader who can manage this city in the years to come. I will eventually retire so I need you to take my place."

"But I'm no good in those types of things."

"It's because you're stubborn as a mule and refused to even give it a chance!"

"Who's a stubborn mule?!"

The two locked eyes and angrily stared at each other, growling like wild beasts fighting for territory. As usual, the first person to back off was Lyner.

"Anyway, I'm not going to quit and that's that. If there's nothing else, I'm heading off to start my rounds."

After taking a mere few steps towards the exit, the ground began to violently shake, threatening to knock Lyner off his feet. "W-What's going on?! What's happening?"

"This is..." Leard mumbled.

"Commander!" An Elemia Knight barged into the room and he was followed by a young woman and two other men. The four were noticeably injured and suffered various cuts and bruises.

"Report!" Leard ordered.

"Y-Yes. We were on patrol as usual and while we were near the Altar of Apostles, we met a large number of Viruses. But that's not all. We also encountered a mysterious new Virus that we couldn't stop." The knight groaned and clutched his bloodied shoulder.

"Was there anything else you noticed about the Virus?"

"N-No," the young woman replied. "It all happened too fast that we didn't have much time to get a good look at it."

"Is that Virus the caused of this quake?"

"I'm not sure about that."

"I see..." Leard began stroking his beard. "Good work on reporting back. For now, get treatment for your wounds."

"Thank you, sir."

"Hey!" Lyner called out to the Elemia Knights before they left. "Did you see Ayatane or any of my squad members?"

"You're Lyner from squad 4, right? Then no, I don't think we saw them." The young woman turned to her squad members who all shook their heads.

Lyner balled his hands into fists and said, "Then I gotta go."

"Wait, Lyner!" Leard ordered. "Just where are you going?"

"Where else? To find my squad members and fight the Viruses of course," Lyner replied as a matter of fact. An irritated expression appeared on his face for being stopped mid-way.

"You should wait here and assess the situation before running off to your death."

"There's no time for that! Lives are at stake while we stand here and talk."

Just before Lyner and Leard got into another heated argument, a deep authoritative female voice pierced the thick tension between the two of them.

"Have you found what is the source of this quake, Leard?" A woman covered in large white armor appeared and floated towards the angry duo. The top half of her face was covered by a large helmet.

"Lady Shurelia," Lyner happily greeted.

"It seems like a large number of Viruses have appeared at the Altar of Apostles including one that is unknown," Leard began. "We don't know its type or rank, but it's quite clear that we're not dealing with an ordinary one. I believe they are the result of this quake."

Shurelia remained quiet throughout Leard's explanation and she continued to do so even after he was finished. Lyner had no idea what she was thinking or feeling behind that large helmet of hers, but he knew that she'll come up with a good plan of action. Suddenly, she declared, "Leard! I'm going to the Altar of Apostle so you take over command from here. Give the order to all off-duty Elemia Knights to maintain the final defense line near the entrance of the underground section. Lyner, you're going with me."

"Yes, ma'am."

"I understand, Lady Shurelia," Leard replied. "I'll keep the city safe until you return and give the to the Elemia Knights in your place." When Lyner was nearly out of sight, Leard called out to him. "Lyner, don't do anything foolish."

"I won't!"

* * *

The Altar of Apostles was located in the underground section of Platina and is accessible from the park. The section was similar to the inner areas of the tower which included countless corridors, walkways and dark blue walls that were made up of durable materials. Because of the layout, a person could get lost in here for days if he wasn't careful. Even Lyner had yet to memorized the layout so fortunately for him, he had Shurelia to lead the way.

They hurried down a few corridors and gates until they stumbled onto a few knights in the middle of battle with a number of shadowy entities in the shaped of dog like beasts. Some of the knights were exhausted and filled with fatigue including their Reyvateil who was struggling with her singing. The only one who appeared fine was a young white haired man in red crimson armor wielding two sharp curved blades called katanas.

"Ayatane," Lyner called out.

"Hmm? Lyner and...Lady Shurelia?"

"Stand back and leave the rest to us," Shurelia ordered the exhausted Elemia Knights who happily obeyed.

"To be allowed to fight with Lady Shurelia, I'm honored."

"Enough chit chat, let's go!" Lyner shouted as he swiftly cut down a Virus.

Ayatane smirked and followed suit with a lightning quick follow up to the next Virus. The battle was far from difficult because these specific Viruses didn't have many options, but to lunge and claw at their enemies. While a bit fast, they weren't enough to stop Lyner and Ayatane who were two of the most skilled knights. All it took were simple swordplay to bring the Viruses to a stop. In the meantime, Shurelia began singing a song and a large blue ball of light filled with powerful energy soon appeared above her head.

After finished off his 20th Virus, Lyner paused for a moment and counted off nearly forty more remaining. "This is taking too long."

"True, but we have Lady Shurelia on our side, remember?" Ayatane gestured toward Shurelia who just finished her song.

"Hah!" Shurelia threw her right arm forward and the massive ball of light flew towards the two and the remaining Viruses. After Lyner and Ayatane jumped out of harm's way, the ball of light enveloped the Viruses and reduced them into dust.

"As expected of Lady Shurelia," Lyner applauded, in awe of her power. "She's definitely in a league of her own."

"Of course," Ayatane agreed.

"What happened while you were here, Ayatane?" Shurelia asked.

"Well, squad 4 began patrolling after we realized that Lyner would be late. Everything was going fine until we felt a violent shake coming from the Altar of Apostles. We then confronted a large number of Viruses and after we took care of them, we split up with me staying here and holding off the Viruses. The captain and Anna continued toward the Altar and I haven't heard from them since."

Shurelia brought a hand to her chin as she thought about the situation. After muttering a few incoherent words, she said, "We will proceed toward the Altar and rescue anyone along the way. Everyone should fall back to the final defense line. We will try to fix this problem ourselves."

"Yes ma'am!"

The group continued to their destination and was able to unite with several more Elemia Knight squads who were also patrolling during this time. Some were severely injured while others suffered only minor scratches and bruises. Either way, they were all ordered to retreat to the final defense line. It didn't take long after for Lyner's group to reach the Altar of Apostles.

"I feel a powerful entity inside," Shurelia declared from outside the Altar's door. "Be on your guard."

Lyner and Ayatane simply nodded their understanding.

"Then, let's head in."

Taking point, Lyner charged in first and immediately noticed two individuals struggling to stand on their feet. "Captain, Anna! You're both still alive!"

"Huh? Lyner, Ayatane and...Lady Shurelia! Thank god you're all here. Be careful of this Virus, it's nothing like we've ever encountered before." The captain gestured towards the massive wolf-like beast with a long horn standing in the middle of the Altar. It quietly growled as it watched the Elemia Knights.

"Retreat to the final defense line," Shurelia commanded. "We'll take it from here."

"Thank you, Lady Shurelia," Anna said as she and the captain moved toward the door.

Lyner ran in front of them to cover their escape. As soon as they had left, the beast became hostile as it began approaching the three remaining knights. It bared its sharp fangs at them, getting ready to strike.

"Let's quickly take it out," Lyner said, readying his blade.

"Wait, we should analyze it first," Shurelia said as she began chanting another song and the Virus was then enveloped in a blue light. "Analysis finished. It's not a type that we've handled before. I don't have any other information so anything can happen."

"Even though I can feel its power from here, it should still be just another Virus so all we have to do is overwhelm it with our attacks," Lyner said, growing very impatient.

"Wait for Lady Shurelia's orders," Ayatane warned him.

"Lady Shurelia!"

Shurelia sighed and said, "Okay. While we're in a dangerous situation, we still have to do something. Just be careful." Once again, she began singing the song that created the massive blue energy ball.

"It's about time," Lyner said with a grin. "Take this!" Lyner quickly dashed forward, dodged the Virus' attempt to pierce him with its horn and struck the Virus in its abdomen. "It's tougher than I thought." To his surprise, the slash only left a shallow cut on its thick armor.

"Let me try." Ayatane jumped high into the air and made a cross slash on his descent. Just like Lyner's attack, Ayatane's slash left only a shallow wound. "This may take a while."

Lyner and Ayatane continued their quick onslaught while swiftly evading the Virus' claws, horn, or bite attacks.

Eventually, the Virus grew restless and made a deafening howl. It changed its target and charged at Shurelia.

"Where are you headed off to?" Lyner asked. "Your fight's with us!" He entered into a stance where he appeared to have sheathed his blade and it began to glow with a bright green aura. "Take this! Impulse!" With a quick horizontal swing of his blade, a large green wave of light shot out and struck the Virus from behind, knocking it into the wall. "See? Not difficult at all. Just another Virus."

"I wouldn't be too sure about that, Lyner," Ayatane said as he readied his blades once again.

The Virus quickly got back on its feet and charged them like a raging bull. Lyner had barely evaded it in time, but did suffer a cut on his arm.

"Lyner, are you okay?" Ayatane asked.

"Yeah, no problem. Just a small cut." Lyner made a sweeping cut at the Virus's front legs. The attack wasn't enough to knock it down, but the Virus did swiftly counterattacked by trying to bite off Lyner's arm which would have fallen off if not were Ayatane's quick intervention.

"You're getting too reckless," Ayatane warned as he struck the Virus at the base of its neck.

"Thanks, Ayatane. That was a close one." Lyner created some distance between him and the Virus to catch his breath.

"Everybody back off now!" Shurelia suddenly said as she finished her song and flung it towards the Virus.

Ayatane had gotten out of range in time just right before the ball of light had completely enveloped the Virus with a loud explosion.

"Is it finally over?" Lyner asked as everyone's focus was on where the Virus was last standing. Once the smoke cleared, they were all shocked to find that the Virus had escaped unharmed. "Impos-" Before Lynder could finish his sentence, the Virus charged at him at a much faster speed and made contact with his body, knocking him into the wall. If he didn't raise his right gauntlet in time to help fend off the attack, he would have suffered a mortal injury from the horn.

"Lyner!" Ayatane attacked the Virus from behind, but his blades met nothing as they passed through it. The Virus then disappeared and reappeared behind him.

With one swipe of its claws, the Virus slashed Ayatane in the back. The attack wasn't strong enough to completely penetrate his armor however.

Lyner followed up with a jumping strike, but his blade passed through the Virus' body as well even though it was clearly in front of his eyes. It was as if he was fighting an illusion.

Changing tactics, the Virus roared and released intense energy from his mouth like a flamethrower. The force knocked the three knights off their feet and toward the Altar's entrance. The Virus however didn't follow them and instead opted to observed them.

"We must retreat at once," Shurelia decided.

"What! We can't just run away," Lyner protested. "We're Elemia Knights. It's our duty to fight Viruses."

"Don't talk back to Lady Shurelia!" Ayatane shouted.

Without feeling offended, Shurelia said, "Look at the bigger picture Lyner. We're not in any condition to fight this Virus now. If we lose here, how can we protect Platina?"

"But, Lady Shurelia...," Lyner said, still feeling conflicted.

"I understand how you feel, but as a Knight of Elemia, you must make rational decisions."

"I-," Lyner began, but instead took a deep breath. "I understand, Lady Shurelia. You're right."

"Good. Now let us retreat at once."

The three ran toward the entrance, but the Virus wasn't going to let them get away so easy. It unleashed a ball of energy from its mouth and struck all three from behind, knocking them outside of the Altar.

"It seems like the Symphonic Power Lines in this area has been damaged," Shurelia commented. "Without them working properly, we can't repel the Viruses from harming Platina."

"What? That's never happened before," Lyner said with disbelief.

"Actually, it has happened in two of the great disasters in the past. We must get back quickly and hold an emergency meeting before this problem gets on the scale of the previous disasters."

"R-Right."

Without another word, the three ran with all of their might back to Platina with the dangerous Virus right on their trail. Around the mid-way point, the Virus appeared only a few feet behind them.

"It's here!" Lyner shouted as the Virus unleashed another energy blast. With no time to dodge, the party put their guards up except Ayatane who dashed forward. They were all blinded by a bright light and were surprised to find the energy blast had vanished as if it was never there.

"Whew, that was a close one," Ayatane said.

"What happened, Ayatane?" Lyner asked.

"No time to explain. You both should hurry and return."

"What about you?"

"I'll hold it off here."

"But that's impossible," Shurelia protested.

"We have no time to argue!" Ayatane shouted in an unusually loud voice. "I'm sorry for what I'm about to do." He concentrated his energy and quickly released it which launched Shurelia and Lyner across the room and through the next gate.

"Ayatane!" Lyner ran back to the room, but the gate had closed before he could get there. "Damn it!" He angrily struck the gate with his fist.

"Lyner, this area will be occupied by the Viruses soon so we should hurry out," Shurelia said in a calm and composed voice.

"But, we can't abandon Ayatane," Lyner protested.

"It's not like I want to leave him there," Shurelia sadly replied. "But there's nothing we can do here. If we return, we at least may find a way to save him and this whole city."

Lyner took one more look at the gate and muttered, "Ayatane, hold on. I'll save you soon." He then lead the way back and once they were just about near the exit, the Virus appeared once again and blocked off their path.

"Down that corridor," Shurelia ordered.

They avoided another energy blast in time by turning to a nearby corner and they were now standing in front of a small gate. The Virus appeared to have lost them as it didn't pursue them at the moment.

"If that thing is blocking the path then we can't get back to Platina," Shurelia calmly said which didn't sit well with Lyner.

"Don't you care about Ayatane at all? How can you stay so calm?"

"I am the leader of Platina so I can't let my personal feelings and emotions cloud my judgment. If I do, it will only end up getting more people hurt..." Shurelia quietly trailed off so that Lyner couldn't hear her clearly. She let out a heavy sigh and continued in her calm voice, "Lyner, listen to me. We can't take care of these Viruses the conventional way we've been doing up until now. What you saw with that Virus was that it turned itself into energy and transported its physical body away. That's why we couldn't hurt it."

"Then it's impossible to beat it," Lyner said, despair beginning to take over his mental state.

Shurelia shook her head. "No, there is one way. We must use a Hymn Crystal."

"...You mean the ones that the Legendary Holy Maidens used to save the world a long time ago?"

"Yes, specifically we want the _Purger Crystal_. However, that Crystal is not here on Platina."

"Then where is it?"

"On the Wings of Horus, a floating continent several stones below where we are."

"The lower world? I thought we weren't allowed down there?"

Ignoring Lyner's question, Shurelia continued, "This is going to be a dangerous so be very careful. Take the airship behind this door and descend down to the Wings of Horus and retrieve it."

Lyner gazed down at his feet and reflected at the heavy task that was just entrusted to him. "But what about you?"

"I...am in charge so I cannot leave while the Viruses are still on a rampage."

"But...I can't leave you behind!"

Shurelia gave him a smile that rarely appeared on her face, "Don't worry...I will be fine."

The thought of leaving his superior who he greatly respected behind to her death made his heart heavy.

"Let's hurry," Shurelia quietly said.

They entered the door and came upon a large blue plane in an opened hangar. "Do you know how to fly it?" Shurelia asked.

"I think I do. We received some flight training early on."

"Good, now take this." She handed him a brooch.

"What's this for?"

"It has a 3-D diagram of the Purger Hymn Crystal so it'll be helpful to you."

"Thank you and Lady Shurelia...please hold on until I get back," he pleaded.

"I will and take care of yourself too."

Lyner steeled his resolve and nodded. "I'm heading out." Without wasting any more time, he quickly entered the airship. After pushing a few buttons and pulling a few levers, the aircraft had turned on. "Liftoff." The airship slowly levitated before the thrusters were turned to maximum output. The airship shot out of the hangar like a rocket and flew through the thunderous cloudy skies.

"What is that?" From behind a few clouds, a large black dragon appeared and shot out of an energy blast at him without any warning. There wasn't enough time to completely dodge the attack so one of the engines was struck sending the ship spiraling down towards the continent below like a falling meteorite. Try as he might, he couldn't stabilize his descent so he concluded that he was going to crash into the forest that had came into view.

_"Is this the end for me? I'm sorry...Lady Shurelia."_ That was the final thought he had before the airship made contact with the ground, creating an earth shattering boom before everything became completely dark.


	2. The Wings of Horus

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lyner miraculously survive the crash and wakes up in the land below. There, he meets several people who lived in the area as well as a wandering sharpshooter.

**Chapter II: The Wings of Horus**

His head was cloudy and hazy. He wasn't sure whether he was dreaming or that he was awake. His body swayed side by side, unsteady and almost falling. Flashes of images ran through his mind, all of them unknown yet some had felt familiar.

He first saw himself wielding a large blade, larger than the one he was currently using. It had a beautiful and elegant design as if a lot of attention and care was used in its creation. Looking beyond the distant, he could see countless shadows approaching him. Their figures were blurry and out of focus. Were they enemies? He didn't know, but the atmosphere was thick with tension. Turning his head, he said something to the girl by his side, but could only see her lips moving, none of her words were audible.

Suddenly, he found himself in a completely different place. Gone was his blade and the thick tension in the atmosphere. Instead, he felt relaxed and at peace. His hand was gripping tightly onto a small girl's hand, a different girl than the one before. He couldn't make out her details, but he felt like she was smiling. They were running, not from any person, but just simply running as the cool mid-day breeze brushed against their cheeks.

Everything then disappeared and he was now looking up at the sky, his back lying on the ground. He couldn't move any part of his body as if he was struck with paralysis. Was this part of his memories? His delusion? Or was he now looking at reality? He didn't care. He just wanted to close his heavy eyelids which were beginning to drop. Like his other visions, there was a girl here as well who was looking down on him. She had brown hair and she was saying something, but he couldn't hear her. Suddenly, his body was basked in a warm and soothing light that calmed his mind and body before everything became dark once more.

* * *

"Urgh." Lyner awoke with a loud groan, his entire body aching with pain, but with no apparent mortal injury. Temporarily dazed and confused, he looked at his surroundings and wondered just where he was right now. There were trees everywhere as far as his eye could see and high above the trees was the clear blue sky.

_"I guess I'm in a forest of sorts...but why?"_ Suddenly, he recalled his last words with Shurelia and about his mission. "That's right! I was shot down by a large dragon like creature in the sky and came crashing down." He looked at his surroundings once more. "Then this is...the Wings of Horus? Wait, how did I survive the crash and where's the airship?" Realizing his object of interest was nowhere in sight, he sighed and began rubbing his arms and shoulders. "Guess my priority is to look for it."

Out of the corner his eye, he noticed a white piece of cloth near his foot. "What's this?" After picking it up, he realized it was a small white handkerchief, a bit dirty on the bottom. "Guess somebody dropped it, but who..." Probably because of the beautiful floral design on it, he felt that he shouldn't just leave it there and decided to find its owner on his way to find his airship.

Without any idea of where to start, Lyner began heading down what appeared to be an open path. Despite the urgency of his mission, he couldn't help, but admire his surroundings. It was very different from the environment he was used to at Platina. Here, the forest was vibrant and full of life. Birds were chirping and other small rodents scurried from one point to another. It was also not as cold so that made him feel warm and cozy under his durable armor.

After a few minutes of his peaceful stroll through the forest, he arrived at a large open clearing. And right in the middle of it was his airship, a few feet in the ground with several pieces of metal scattered around it. A black trail of smoke rose from the airship and into the sky. He initially felt despair when he saw the airship, but it quickly turned into anger when he saw a cloaked figure in a wide brim hat poking around the debris.

"Hmm...what a disaster...but it looks like some of it can be salvaged. Lucky me. Wait, this material..." The man murmured to himself and was completely oblivious to Lyner's presence.

"Hey! Get away from that!" Lyner rapidly approached the mysterious individual who jumped at Lyner's voice.

"W-Whoa, don't scare me like that." The man looked at Lyner from head to foot and scowled. "Tch, so another one from the Church is still here."

Lyner furrowed his eyebrows in response. "Church? I'm not with any church."

"Really? I figured you were with the way you're dressed. Anyway, who are you then?"

"I'm the guy who owns this ship?"

"Your ship? You were riding this thing?"

"That's right."

The man let out a short laugh. "Like anyone could survive this crash. You don't even look all that injured."

Lyner opened his mouth to retort, but then began wondering why he didn't suffer any significant injury. Even though he was naturally tough, he still didn't believe he could got out of the crash with only a few cuts and bruises. Although, his head was aching quite a bit.

The man sighed and then said, "I'm getting tired of this conversation. Guess I'll just come back when you're gone."

"Hey, wait!" Lyner called out to the retreating man, but it was in vain as the man soon disappeared behind the trees. He returned his attention to the airship wreckage and let out a cry of frustration. He doubted that the airship would fly again without any type of repair so it was useless staying here any longer.

_"But what to do now?"_

He sat down on the ground and considered the situation. He had no idea where he was or even where the Purger crystal was either. Not an ideal situation at all. Proceeding alone wouldn't get him anywhere so he decided to look for the nearest town and ask around. At least it was better than to blindly search around this unknown world.

Without a further thought, he began walking down the path where the mysterious man had disappeared early on.

Approximately an hour later, he finally found the exit and saw a small town nearby. It looked ordinary for the most part. Many small homes and buildings made of bricks were all situated closely together. There were however large pillars surrounding the town that ascended quite high into the sky. If his eyes weren't being deceived, there was even a small establishment on top of one of them.

_"Is this what all towns in the lower world is like? It's nothing like Platina. It feels...vibrant."_ For the first time since the attack on Platina, he was not completely filled with stress, tension or a dire sense of urgency. Rather, his strong interest of adventuring and exploring had begun dictating his actions. _"I wonder what new things I'll find..."_

With a boyish grin plastered on his face, he jogged toward the town with a large signpost that said, "Karulu."

He saw a few people out on the streets, but they didn't pay him much attention oddly enough. He thought that he would at least receive some glances and stares because of the way he was dressed. _"Maybe they're used to all sorts of people traveling through the town?"_

As he continued down the street and admired the buildings along the way, he soon entered what seemed like the central plaza of the town. He didn't get any time to look around it because his attention was immediately drawn to a young man in dark purple armor and cape who was screaming at the girl by his side.

"You're useless!"

The girl flinched at the young man's words and took a half step back.

"It's because of you that the main force left us behind," the young man continued.

A woman nearby hastily grabbed onto the young man's arm and pleaded, "Please stop yelling at her commander. She just risked her life to save my daughter from monsters."

Surprisingly, the young man calmed down at her plea. "Is that right?"

The girl brightened a bit after seeing the young man's change in attitude. "Y-Yes."

However, the young man's anger returned instantly. "You idiot! Who told you to do that? How many times do I need to tell you to not act unless I give the order to? The village isn't paying us enough to do anything extra."

"I-I'm sorry," the girl apologized while bowing her head.

"Saying sorry isn't going to cut it!" The man slapped the girl with such force that she fell to the ground.

Terrified by the violent act, the woman quickly left the scene while Lyner felt his blood boil upon witnessing the scene. "That bastard." He ran toward the young man with the intent to knock him to the ground, but before he was even halfway there, a number of men in armors and white capes descended onto the scene while the woman from before had returned.

"What's going on here?" One of the knights asked. He was a man who Lyner assumed was the leader of the bunch as he had extra trinkets on his cape.

"Who the hell are you?" The man in purple asked, his anger clearly have yet to subside.

"I'm Cardinal Radolf of the Elemia Church," the knight calmly replied.

_"Elemia_ _Church?"_ Lyner thought. _"Is this the Church that guy was talking about earlier?"_

"Back off, this is Tenba business," the man in purple declared. "Your church has no authority with what we do here."

"This isn't about the Church or Tenba! If you insist on using violence here, then I'll beat you down like the wild animal you are."

Without waiting for further orders, the other knights surrounded the man in purple who was beginning to show signs of fear. "Damn it. I-I'm not going to help this village anymore you hear me?" He violently pulled the girl's arm. "Come on! We're out of here." He ran past the commander knight while the girl was close on his heels.

"This is why I hate Tenba," the commander knight named Radolf said with a sigh as he watched the man in purple armor retreat into the distant.

"I heard that Tenba's treatment of their Reyvateils have gotten much worse these past few days," one of the knights commented.

"Speaking of Reyvateil, were you scared, Aurica?" Radolf addressed a girl who was standing nearby. She had brown hair and wore a white and pink outfit.

"...No, not really," she mumbled.

"Well, do you still want to join Tenba now? Things like that will happen constantly. It's better to stay with the church because so long as I'm cardinal, I'll keep all the Reyvateils safe."

Despite Radolf's passionate declaration, the girl didn't seem to be very moved by it.

Lyner was about to approach Radolf and have a talk with him, but then he noticed something about that girl. _"I feel like I've seen her somewhere..."_ His eyes fell to her brown hair and he suddenly recalled one of his visions from the forest. "Ah!" He ran up to the girl and held out the handkerchief he found. "This is yours, right? And your name's Aurica? Please to meet you. I think you saved me from the crash so thank you."

The girl didn't reply and instead, was shocked at Lyner's sudden approach.

"Do you know him, Aurica?" Radolf asked, a smile on his face.

"No, I don't know who he is," she coldly replied before walking away.

"Huh? Is that so? Sorry, it seems like there's been a misunderstanding," Radolf said to Lyner before he ordered his men to leave as well.

"That's weird, I could've sworn it was her," Lyner said as he scratched his head. "Well, can't mull over this for too long. Gotta find a way to fix my airship and find the crystal."

He continued deeper into the town and wondered about the two organizations, Elemia Church and Tenba. It was only a brief encounter, but he already disliked Tenba and for their treatment of Reyvateils. _"Hopefully, that guy is the sole bad apple in Tenba."_

He entered with what appeared to be a general store hoping that somebody could help him. Inside were many stacks of books on the walls and a myriad of objects and items. It was a messy place. There was even a frog stuffed animal up on the ceiling.

"Welcome...I don't recall ever seeing you around here before," the store proprietor said from behind the counter. "I thought you were one of those Church knights as first, but your armor's different after getting a better look."

"Yeah, I'm not from around here. I'm also looking for someone to fix my airship. Do you happen to know anyone who could help?"

"That's your airship? Then you'd better head out to Viola Forest because our town's selling it as scraps to Tenba."

"What!" Lyner was then out of the store in a flash.

* * *

"Hold it! That's my airship so you can't sell it!"

All of the townspeople that had gathered around the airship turned their attention to Lyner who appeared after running back to the airship without taking a break.

"Who are you?" An old man asked.

Lyner took a moment to catch his breath before replying, "...I'm Lyner. Lyner Barsett."

"So Lyner, do you have any proof that this airship is yours?"

"Proof? I feel like somebody has asked me that before. But no, I don't have proof. You should just trust me on this one."

The old man shook his head. "I'm sorry, Lyner, but without proof, this airship is the town's property and we're going to sell it to Tenba so they'll provide better protection to us."

"What does Tenba have to do with you guys?"

"We're contracted with Tenba to fight the monsters that are near the village so we don't have to risk our lives and fight them instead. But we're in financial trouble these days so I don't think we can pay them for any longer. So that's why we need to sell this airship."

"That's despicable, trying to sell someone's property," a voice interjected.

The mysterious man in the green cloak from before had shown up once again. Lyner found it surprising that he was coming to his defense despite what he said earlier.

"And who are you?" The old man asked.

"Yeah, who are you?" Lyner repeated.

"Just a simple traveler who happened to hear of this young man's sad story," the man said as he stepped forward. "I couldn't stay back and watch as you take his airship away from him. So gramps, do _you_ have proof that this airship is yours?"

"The airship is not mine, but without any proof of ownership, it is automatically the town's. As mayor, I have the right to dispose of the town's properties for the town."

"Please, that airship is mine and I'll be in huge trouble if I lose it," Lyner pleaded.

The mayor appeared troubled at Lyner's emotional plea as he furrowed his busy eyebrows. After thinking for a while, he said, "Then you take care of it in Tenba's place."

"...Take care of what?"

"The Blue Wolves have been attacking this town for quite some time now. Tenba had been taking caring of them, but since we weren't able to pay them much now, they're not doing much about the wolves. So if you defeat them or at least drive them away, then we'll give you the airship."

"Ok, I'll do it," Lyner immediately agreed without any hesitation.

"Wha, wait up hold it." The traveler hurriedly tried to stop Lyner, but it was already too late.

"Then it's a deal," the mayor agreed. "Come see me at my home in Karulu when you're finished. The Blue Wolves are in Cello Forest."

"Thanks, it shouldn't take too long," Lyner said as he began walking away.

"Don't be too sure young man," the mayor quietly warned.

After leaving the airship area, Lyner suddenly realized that he didn't know where to go. "Where is Cello Forest anyway?"

"You accepted the job without even knowing that?" The traveler asked from behind.

"It's not like I had much choice. I have to get that airship back. But anyway, who are you?"

"You can call me Jack, a treasure hunter." He slightly lifted his hat to reveal his dark silver hair. "Nice to meet you."

"I'm Lyner. So why the change of mind? You were trying to take the airship before, but you're now defending me so what's up with that?"

"Now, now. Don't sweat the small stuff. I really do want to help you."

Lyner wasn't completely convinced, but he did needed the help if he was going to finish his mission. The lower world was an unknown place to him. "I was meaning to ask this, but...what kind of company is Tenba? I don't like what I've been hearing."

"Tenba is a huge conglomerate that dabbles in a little of everything. They even have their own military that overcharges others to provide protection as you've just seen. They seem to be alright for the most part, but recently, they've begun to mistreat the Reyvateils."

Just remembering about the earlier incident was making Lyner angry. "I can't believe Reyvateils are treated like that."

"Well you're from Platina where it's different, but it's common here."

"Wait...How did you know I was from Platina?" Lyner narrowed his eyes and put his guard up.

"Huh? Oh...uh...you know..." Jack shifted his eyes left and right as he tried to explain. "You never heard about Tenba so it was pretty obvious. B-But anyway, we should head back to town because we need to make some preparations."

"There's no need. I can handle these wolves right away." Lyner placed a hand on his scabbard to make his point.

"Just trust me on this one, you're going to need to make some preparations." Jack began heading back to town by himself while Lyner thought about the situation some more.

_"I don't really know much about the lower world so I guess it's probably better to trust him."_ Lyner ran after Jack before he disappeared too far away.

* * *

"So why are you helping me?" Lyner asked again once the two had entered the town. "What's in it for you?"

"These Blue Wolves have been a pain for me too," Jack replied. "It was only recently when a large pack of these wolves had entered the Cello Forest area and terrorized the people around here. Because of them, I can't even get back to Nemo."

"Nemo? What's that?"

"It's a city and I guess you can call it the capital of the lower world too."

"The capital huh." Lyner wondered if it looked anything like Platina. "I think I'll stop by there afterwards."

"You do that, but now, we should focus on the Blue Wolves. Do you know anything about Grathmeld?"

"Gratmold?" Lyner asked with a confused expression.

"Grathmeld." Jack shook his head disappointedly. "It's a method to create useful items. I'm not too familiar with it myself, but maybe you can learn it."

"So you want me to make something for beating these wolves?"

"You guessed it," Jack replied with a grin. "But first, we're heading up there." He pointed a finger toward the top of a tall pillar.

At the base of it, there was a small elevator. After pushing a button, the elevator car stirred to life and began ascending upwards. The car was rickety and loud compared to the smooth and quiet elevator cars Lyner was used to in the inner tower.

_"It's as if I'm a different time period."_

When the car reached the top, he found several people lounging around and admiring the beautiful view from the top. It reminded him of the times when he used to stand high up on rooftops and gazed out at the scenery. The only building of sorts was a small store with an attractive young woman attending to it.

"Excuse me, beautiful miss, but we're here to learn about Grathmeld," Jack asked the clerk.

"Great, then you should visit my grandfather, Professor Pochoma, he'll be happy to teach you." She gestured to the old man with a cane, sitting on a stool.

"And that is your cue," Jack said, pushing Lyner towards the old man. "Don't worry about me. I'll be here keeping her company." With a wave of his hand, he returned to whatever conversation he had with the store clerk.

Lyner sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "Why do I have to do this?" He muttered before approaching the old man. "Um excuse me?"

"Yes?" The old man tilt his head up to catch a glimpse of his visitor. "Can I help you with something?"

"Uh, yeah. Can you teach me...Grathmeld?"

Instantly, the old man's eyes lit up like stars. "Of course, of course. Have a seat young man." He gestured to the stool next to his. "Grathmeld is an ancient technique that allows people to create all sorts of things such as bombs and medicine, but not many people are able to grasp the concept. That's why, I'm surprised, but overjoyed to see a young man such as yourself express an interest in it."

"Y-Yeah...because I think this...Grathmeld is going to help me in my travels."

"It will definitely help you, so what will it be? The one year course? The five year course? The ten year course?...Or the 1 day course?"

"...I'll take the 1 day course."

"Why is it that everybody takes the 1 day course," the old man grumbled disappointedly. "Well, let's begin. It'll be quick so try and keep up."

For the entire day, Lyner listened to the various theorems and principles of Grathmeld. By the end of it all, he felt like his head was overloaded with information.

"So? Do you understand Grathmeld now?" The old man asked when he was finished.

Lyner scratched his head and then yawned. "Yeah, I think I do."

"Great! Now take this." The old man gave Lyner a small card.

"What's this?"

"A recipe card to make a missile. It lists the ingredients that you need so all that's left is to make it using Grathmeld. Take these ingredients too and try making a few."

Lyner grabbed a few small crystals and stones. "Thanks. I'll get on it." He moved to an open area nearby and after a process of mixing components and using esoteric techniques, he was able to create several small missiles. "I...honestly didn't expect it to turn out like this."

"That's the mysteries of the Grathmeld," the old man said with a hearty laugh. "I'm sure you'll make all sorts of interesting and strange things from now on. So continue your journey young man and make me proud."

"I will, sir." Lyner bid the old man farewell and went to the town's inn that was near the tower. There, he found Jack lying down on a sofa.

"Finish already?" Jack asked as he stretched his arms. "Did you make anything."

"A few missiles."

"Excellent, that's just what we need." Jack got up and began heading out the door. "Now, let's go and take care of these wolves."

* * *

By the time the two had entered the Cello Forest, the sun had set and evening had arrived. It was a time when the birds and small animals went into hiding while the more violent and aggressive creatures made their appearance.

"Listen, be prepared to use those missiles on the wolves," Jack instructed.

"I don't need them. I can take care of them with just my sword."

"Then why did you spent all day making those missiles?!" Jack shouted.

"I made them just to be on the safe side and learn something new, but I want to first see how these wolves are any different."

"Don't think that it would be so easy," Jack murmured before he came to a sudden stop. "Well, looks like they're here. Why don't you try beating them?"

A pack of five wolves with blue coats appeared from behind the trees and bared their large sharp fangs at Lyner and Jack.

"Leave it to me," Lyner said as he readied his blade and charged at the wolves. Like a powerful tempest, he blew through the pack and struck a wolf in its side. This had brought the other wolves on the offensive. They dove at him, but he swiftly evaded and unleashed powerful counterattacks. Within a minute, all five of the wolves laid on the ground, not moving a muscle. Normally he would have felt proud of his victory, but he noticed something was off during the battle.

"I think you realized it now, but these Blue Wolves are pretty troublesome creatures," Jack explained from the sidelines. "Their hides are much thicker than the average wolf so it takes a lot of effort to take these guys down." Just as he finished his explanation, the wolves stood up and got ready to attack again. "Still willing to continue?"

Lyner frowned and thought about how it might take more energy than he wanted to take care of these wolves based on his experience just now. His journey was undoubtedly long so he should keep himself in peak condition as much as he could. Who knows how many tough battles await him in the future. "Alright, I concede. What should we do?"

Jack nodded in approval before he pushed open his cloak to reveal a metallic right arm with a gatling gun attached. Quickly aiming his gun at the wolves, he unleashed a barrage of bullets onto them. "Okay, while they're distracted, give me a missile. These wolves are weak to fire."

Lyner tossed a missile to Jack who caught it with his free left arm and loaded into a barrel that was also attached to his arm. "That's some arm you have there," Lyner said with interest.

"Thanks. Specially created. And now, prepare for some explosions." Jack took aim and fired the missile at the pack of wolves who had already begun charging forward. The missile struck one of wolves' hide before exploding and burning everything in a 10 foot radius. Just as Jack had said, the fire was extremely effective against these wolves who dispersed in all directions before succumbing to the fiery flames that reduced them to ashes.

"I expected a bigger explosion," Lyner mumbled.

"Well, if we had a better missile then maybe we get some earth shattering explosion. But I didn't expect you could make one with just any recipe."

"I see. Well, is that all of them?" Lyner asked, looking around the area.

"I don't think so. And speak of the devil, here they are," Jack said as he pointed a finger across the area. Out from the shrubbery and trees appeared a large group of about 50 more wolves. It seemed like the remaining pack had decided to make their appearance to avenge their fallen comrades and retrieve their dinner.

"Now I'm worried." Lyner frowned and carefully observed the wolves who were slowly descending towards them. "This will probably be difficult."

"Not as long as we have those missiles. Toss me a few more of them will you?"

"They're all yours."

"Good, now how about this?" Jack loaded a missile and launched it at the large pack. He quickly loaded missile after missile and launched them in rapid succession, all the while laughing like a maniac.

Lyner made a note to not give Jack any more dangerous weapons.

When the wolves' numbers had dwindled down to about 20, Jack said, "I need another one. Hurry!"

"Sorry..., but we're out." Lyner forced out a small laugh.

"...What!?" Jack shouted and turned around. "What do you mean we're out?"

"I didn't have that many materials to begin with so we're lucky the blast radius was big enough to hit a large number of those wolves."

"Damn! Then I think we should retreat and make some more back at the village...If we can actually outrun these wolves who appear quite angry to be honest..." Jack began to slowly shuffle back as if to avoid agitating the wolves even further.

Lyner however, stood his ground and then took a deep breath before blowing it out. "I guess there's no other choice." He drew his blade and readied it.

"Hey, what are you planning on doing?" Jack asked, shocked at Lyner's obvious intention.

"We got to take care of these wolves here before they hurt or kill anyone else."

"Don't be stupid. You'll just get yourself killed."

"It's not something I can run away from," Lyner said in a grim tone.

Jack gritted his teeth and then said, "Fine! I'll support you from long range so don't do anything reckless."

Lyner grinned at Jack's decision. "Okay, but be careful not to shoot me too."

"No promises," Jack declared as he fired off a shot at the nearest wolf. Instead of the gatling gun or the rocket launcher, Jack was now using a rifle.

The shot had missed its target, but had momentarily distracted the wolves so Lyner quickly charged in and drew first blood. He crushed the wolf's skull with a heavy overhead strike that would have normally been difficult to pull off if not for the preemptive strike. The wolf collapsed and it was safe to say that it wasn't going to get back up again.

Now that one of their comrade has fallen, the pack's attention returned to Lyner and they began their deadly assault.

Lyner swiftly slid to the side and evaded several wolves who tried to pounce on him.

Jack then countered with several shots that had made contact, but it wasn't enough to put these wolves down as expected.

"Nice shot," Lyner complimented as he moved around the area to create some breathing room for himself.

"Just shut up and keep attacking will you?" Jack also began moving further back to behind the trees, but a few of them had caught on and changed their targets to him.

"Your fight is with me!" Lyner struck the side of one of them which knocked it into the others, effectively returning their attention to him. He then moved away again to prevent getting surrounded by the pack before continuing with his attacks.

* * *

Jack admittedly didn't think much of Lyner when he first met him. He seemed clueless and not particularly bright with a goofy smile plastered on his face as he traveled around the village. A simple fool is what he thought. But here, it was like he was looking at somebody completely different.

With eyes focused and senses sharp, Lyner smoothly executed his attacks with little effort. There was nothing in his expression that showed that he was afraid of the challenge in front of them.

_"Is he brave or is he just stupid to not realize the danger?"_ Jack wasn't sure, but this wasn't the time to dwell on such thoughts. He had to keep an eye out as well or he might end up wolf chow. He took careful aim and fired off a shot that blew out one of its eyes. _"Don't forget that I'm still here as well."_ He continued with several more critical shots to pick up some of the slack. Most of the shots were aimed at the wolves' limbs so he could immobilize them.

Lyner seemed to have noticed the openings that Jack had created and proceeded to cut off the one-eyed wolf's head. Next, he spun his body from around to avoid the incoming wolf bites and claws and delivered quick yet powerful blows to the nearby wolves who had difficulty keeping track of his location. His movements at times seemed like a blur and with it, he was able to penetrate through the pack's numbers and get behind them.

Jack heard a large number of loud cuts and what sounded like painful cries from the wolves as well as heavy bodies falling onto the ground. _"What's going on in there?"_ Jack couldn't see very well of what's happening within the large wolf gathering so he moved more to the west for a clearer view. From there, he saw Lyner turning his body left and right using quick footwork to create some space from the wolves before he made a wide horizontal slash to cut a large number of them.

As Lyner prepared to follow up with his attack, a wolf had snuck around and tried to bite off his left hand. Fortunately for him, he reacted quick enough and pulled back his hand before kneeing the wolf in the face. The wolf let out a yelp before Lyner punched it with his gauntlet fist and then struck it down with his blade.

At some point there were only eight wolves left and the number was continuing to drop as the remaining pack continued their assault in unison. With no room to evade, Lyner leapt high into the air before descending like a lightning bolt onto a wolf's back, splitting it into two with his blade. A few of the remaining wolves began showing signs of distress and temporarily ceased their attacks after the devastating strike. One wolf however had leapt at Lyner's head. Taking quick action, Lyner ducked and cut open the wolf's belly from below. A second wolf had follow up with another pounce right after, but this time, Lyner didn't have the time to duck or evade. Instead, he blocked the attack with his gauntlet arm and pushed the wolf back before chopping off its head with a swift cut.

Now that there are only a handful of wolves left, Lyner leapt back and created some distance between them. His sword began to glow brightly and Jack could feel some kind of immense pressure from the blade. Before the wolves had gotten within attacking distance, Lyner swung his blade forward. "Impulse!" He shouted as a surge of wind shot out of his blade and knocked the wolves down, but they didn't look to be finished just yet.

Noticing that Lyner had stopped moving and that his chest was heaving up and down, Jack realized that Lyner had overexerted himself and had became exhausted. "Guess it's my turn now. Take cover!"

Lyner only hesitated for a second before he ran back as Jack leapt out into the frontlines and unleashed a barrage of bullets with his gatling gun. It was apparent that the wolves' injuries had adversely impacted their movements because all they did was cried in pain from the attacks and couldn't move away. In less than a minute, the last wolf dropped to the ground in a large puddle of blood.

"Now...it's over right?" Lyner asked with a shaky smile. Sweat drops poured down his face as he took a much deserved breather. There were a number scratches and bruises around his arms because even he couldn't evade every single attack from a large group of enemies.

"I sincerely hope so," Jack replied before checking the wolf carcasses. "Anyway..." Jack took one hard look at Lyner and said, "Where did you learn to fight like that?"

"There are some dangerous things back where I come from," Lyner replied as he sheathed his blade. "I trained myself to stay alive and protect my home."

"...Is that so? Well, I though you'd be smarter based on what I've heard. To think you would risk your life for people you don't know. And to make it worse, it seemed like you didn't even fully recover from that crash and you had to expend more than your usual strength to beat these durable wolves, am I right?"

"...You're very perspective." Lyner scratched his head and let out an awkward laugh. "Huh? Did someone tell you about me?"

"What? O-Of course not!" Jack replied in a flustered manner. "Who would know both of us? W-What I meant was that I thought you seemed smart. A-Anyway, let's report back. We gotta get the airship back, right?"

"You're right. I can't waste anymore time here." Lyner ran back toward the village on shaky legs that seemed like they might collapsed at any moment.

_"I think this guy is just going to give me a lot of trouble in the future. I can feel it,"_ Jack thought as he watched Lyner run into the horizon.

* * *

After receiving some directions, Lyner barged into the mayor's home at Karulu. "I did it. I beat the Blue Wolves."

"What? Already? And without any significant injuries? I find that hard to believe." The mayor raised an eyebrow after listening to Lyner's statement.

"He's right mayor," a man said from the doorway. "I was patrolling around the Cello Forest area and there I saw countless dead Blue Wolves. He's not lying."

"You believe me now?" Lyner asked with a hint of irritation.

"It seems you are right, Lyner," the mayor said as he stroked his beard. "You have my apologies. It's just that your story seems farfetched. The Blue Wolves are very difficult to defeat and considering their large numbers..."

"Well, I did have help from a few missiles."

"Missiles? Did you make them by Grathmeld?"

"Yeah, I just learned it about a day ago."

"That's amazing young man. There aren't that many people who can apply the principles of Grathmeld or even learn it. So I guess we're lucky that you had come in our time of need. We're low on money so we can't afford to hire Tenba for our protection. They weren't always that way though. Something must've happened recently..."

"Um, so I can get my airship back now?"

"Hmm? Oh yes. It's a promise after all. If there's anything you need, let me know."

"Thanks. Then can you help fix my airship?"

"I'm afraid we can't do that. There aren't any skilled engineers here, but maybe you can try your luck at Airport City Nemo."

"Nemo...I think I heard that name before," Lyner said, scratching his head.

"It's the largest city around here and I heard that anything is obtainable there. The villagers here will keep watch over your airship until you bring back someone who can fix it. You have my word."

"Really? Thanks. I'll head to Nemo right away." Lyner walked out of the mayor's home and saw Jack leaning against a wall.

"Seems like everything has turned out well for you."

"Seems like it. So, do you think I can find somebody to fix my airship at Nemo?"

"Probably," Jack replied with a shrug. "It is the capital after all."

"You're still sticking with me?"

"I'm heading to Nemo too after all."

"Great, because I need directions."

Jack grinned and said, "You're an interesting fellow. Well, let's head back to the inn and spend the night before we begin our trek through the forest. I'm exhausted."

Lyner stretched his arms and let out a yawn. "Yeah, okay. I guess my mission can wait for a day."

As they proceeded down the road to the inn in silence, Jack suddenly said, "So why the rush anyway?"

Lyner came to a sudden stop and looked up at the sky.

"You don't have to tell me you know," Jack said. "I'm just curious that's all."

"Well, it's not like I'm trying to hide it," Lyner explained, still looking up at the starry sky. "And you've been a lot of help to me. I don't know where I'll be if you weren't here."

"I didn't really do much. You did all of the hard work."

Lyner shook his head. "I'll tell you at the inn."

* * *

Lyner and Jack were sitting at the lounge of the inn after registering their rooms. Other than the innkeeper who was busy cooking a late dinner, the inn was empty. Jack had been quietly listening to Lyner's story and when it was over, he learned that Lyner was from Platina.

"So you really are an Elemia Knight," Jack said, nodding his head. "Your movements and combat skills are pretty good."

"So you finally believe that I came down here in that airship?"

"I kind of figured it a while back already. Hard to think otherwise because of you ignorance. So anyway, what are you doing down here? It's been a long time since a person from Platina has descended to the lower world."

"I'm searching for the Purger Hymmn Crystal." Lyner took out his brooch and showed Jack the hologram. "This is it. Have you ever seen it."

Jack examined the hologram for a few seconds before saying, "Sorry, but I've never seen it."

"Figures," Lyner mumbled.

"And there's still the problem of getting back up to Platina because your airship can't fly right now. I'm not completely sure we'll find an engineer at Nemo. Well, there's still Tenba who have some of the best engineers...but that's probably not a good place to go."

Lyner looked despondent when he asked, "Can we climb the tower?"  
Jack raised his eyebrows in surprised. "Well...maybe. There are stairs that go to the top, but there's a large obstacle in the way."

"And that is?"

"The Teru Tribe," Jack replied with a frown. "They hate people and have a gate that prevents people from climbing any higher."

Lyner let out a loud sigh. "Seems like there are a lot of problems I have to deal with. Well, I'll concentrate on getting the crystal first and think about the other problems later."

"Sounds like a plan."

Lyner nodded his head and said, "I'm going to see if dinner's ready."

Jack crossed his arms and watched Lyner help set the table from afar. _"Well, I got nothing else to go on so I might as well just follow him. Who knows, I might be able to find her."_


	3. A Dangerous Foe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After joining up with Jack, Lyner makes his way to the large city of Nemo where he finds a powerful enemy waiting for him.

** CHAPTER III: A Dangerous Foe **

_"Why did Ayatane pass the test, but I didn't!?" Lyner demanded, but his father merely looked at him with an emotionless expression. "Did I do something wrong?"_

_Again, his father remained silent and showed no sign that he was going to answer Lyner's demand. A hostile tension separated the father and son and as Lyner was about to storm out of the Grand Cathedral, Shurelia made her own appearance on the matter._

_"Lyner has met every requirement to be a Knight of Elemia. I don't see any reason why he hasn't been passed yet."_

_Under Shurelia's scrutiny, Leard begrudgingly opened up. "Lyner, you can't play with swords forever. You need to mature into a better person to become my successor and govern Platina!"_

_Lyner gritted his teeth and then shouted, "Stop deciding things for me! I don't want to be like you who sneaks around trying to control things behind the scenes. And I'll never be part of politics."_

_Amidst the turbulence, Shurelia intervened with a calm and composed voice. "Commander. You can't force someone to change their dreams. Especially when they work so hard like Lyner."_

_Leard turned around and mulled over Shurelia's words before he grunted and said, "Out of respect for Lady Shurelia...I will pass you this time. But! Someday, you will go into politics."_

* * *

"...ner. Lyner...Hey Lyner! Wake up already!"

"Urggh," Lyner groaned before he felt a sharp piercing pain in his abdomen. "Hrgggh!" His eyes shot wide opened and an image of Jack came into focus along with Jack's elbow sinking deep into his abdomen, Jack's mechanical elbow.

"Oh? So you're awake now," Jack said nonchalantly. "You wouldn't get up no matter what I said so I had to get physical."

"I get it..., but did you have to elbow drop with your right arm?" Lyner groaned once again as he struggled to get up on his feet. It seemed that he was still fighting with fatigue in his body. _"First a bad dream and then a terrible wake up call? What's next?"_ He hoped that this wasn't a bad omen for the rest of his day.

"I would've let you sleep in, but I knew that you're in a rush with your mission. If we don't leave now, then we might reach the city by nightfall and we'll probably get nothing done until the next day."

"Okay, I'm up," Lyner said, somehow feeling reenergized and ready to get on with his day.

They ate a quick breakfast at the inn and then bid the innkeeper farewell before heading out.

"So where is Nemo anyway?" Lyner asked after they left the village's gate. He thought it might be a good idea to understand the layout of the lower world in case he had to travel alone again.

"We'll be going through Cello Forest to the south and then move southeast until we reach Nemo. It's situated pretty close to the tower's base."

"Is that right?" Lyner was thinking about finding some way to enter the inner tower to return home once he got the Hymmn Crystal. Nemo seems like a good place to start with that. "How long till we get to Nemo?"

"I'd wager 6 hours, give or take," Jack replied, rubbing his chin.

"That long huh?" Lyner said, suddenly feeling very tired again.

"Eh, it might seem long, but the time will just fly by if we do something to take our minds off of it."

"Like what?"

"I don't know." Jack hummed as he thought about it. "How about singing some kind of song? Are there any typical songs that the people of Platina like to sing? We should sing them."

Lyner frowned at the prospect. "There is, but...How about you start singing something instead?"

"Me? Well, okay." Jack grinned and said, "My hometown has a few good songs too."

* * *

Lyner and Jack spent most of their journey to Nemo singing various songs that came to mind. They had met a number of people in the small villages that were between the Cello Forest and Nemo. The villagers were amused by the odd singing duo, a knight in armor and a man with a mechanical arm and cloak. It was suggested that they were a small traveling performance group which they vehemently denied.

"You have a surprisingly good singing voice," Lyner admit with a hint of astonishment. "You honestly look like someone who is tone deaf."

"Thanks...I guess," Jack said, choosing to interpret Lyner's words as a compliment. "Well, you're not too bad yourself. Just need to practice a few more. Well regardless, we're nothing compared to Reyvateils."

"That's true," Lyner agreed with a nod. "...Is that what I think it is?" He noticed many buildings appearing over the horizon.

"You guessed it, that's Airport City Nemo. We're almost there. And since we're pretty close, I got some advice for you."

"What kind?"

"Don't let anyone know that you're from Platina or an Elemia Knight."

"Why not?"

"It'll draw all sorts of bad attention and trouble. Just trust me on this." Jack gave Lyner a serious solemn expression.

"Sure, I'll keep that in mind," Lyner replied after taking a moment to think about it. Jack has been pretty helpful to him so far so he doesn't have a reason to doubt him. Well, it's not like he's going to tell everybody he'll meet that he's from Platina either way.

* * *

"All I can say is...wow..." Lyner commented with astonishment as he marveled the city that was known as the Lower World's capital. In almost every direction he could see, there were many buildings and houses, most of them were in close proximity with one another. He would probably say that Platina had the more interesting architect style with the use of glass materials in the buildings, but Nemo was a much bigger city filled with large crowds. Probably because of that, it felt even more alive and active than his home.

Some of the buildings were high rises that reached up towards the several floating islands that looked like it had its own residential and business districts. The water from the floating islands flowed down onto the lower area, creating a massive waterfall. _"What an interesting city. I thought every city in the Lower World was like Karulu_ _Village."_

"You like what you see?" Jack asked, noticing Lyner's wide opened mouth like an excited dog on a walk.

"Heck yes." Lyner vigorously nodded his head. "Everything is all so new to me."

Jack grinned at Lyner's response and then looked around. "So where should we start? Any ideas or do you want me to take the lead?"

"I have no idea where to even begin so I'll take you up on your gracious offer."

"Then let's get on a trolley and head deeper into the city. I think our destination should be Hoshinose Avenue. And on the way, we can pick up something to eat too."

"Sounds like a plan."

And with that, they hitched a ride on a passing trolley. As Lyner observed his surroundings, Jack was noting some of the important areas of the city such as the airport, Songstone Park, and the Church of El Elemia.

"So this is where those Church guys are from..." Lyner said.

"You met someone from the Church already? They aren't bad like Tenba, but I'd rather not get mix up with the Church either. You might want to do the same."

Lyner didn't respond to Jack's suggestion, but merely watched the dozens of people walking up and down the road. After they crossed some market stands, Lyner jumped off the trolley and headed towards one of the stand.

"Hey Lyner, what're you doing?" Jack called out before he too followed after him.

"I smelled something good so I wanted to see what it was." Lyner sniffed the air and they both then heard the growl of a hungry empty stomach.

Jack sighed and rubbed his head. "Well, we're almost at Hoshinose Avenue anyway and we didn't eat much on the road so I guess it's fine."

"So what'll be, young man?" An old man asked as Lyner approached his food stand.

Lyner breathed in the warm scent of the pieces of brown meat that were sizzling on the grill. His mouth watered heavily as he stared at the food. "I'll take some of these."

"Coming right up," the old man said as he plated several pieces of meat and handed it to Lyner. He then turned to Jack and asked, "And how about you, sir?"

"Sir?" Jack furrowed his eyebrows. "How come he gets a _young man_ while I get a _sir_? Whatever, just give me the same."

After they had paid the man, the two began eating their meal. Lyner had practically devoured his food like a hungry wolf and quickly asked for seconds.

"Geez, slow down will you?" Jack advised with a sigh. "If you start choking, then-"

A woman's loud cry interrupted Jack and everybody's attention turned to the north.

"What was that?" Jack asked, preparing for combat.

Lyner put down his plate and said, "Don't know, but I'm heading over to where it came from." It wasn't a simple task however as Lyner ran into a large group of people frantically running for their lives towards him and blocking most of the street. He had to practically shove a few screaming people away in order to break through and once he did, he entered what looked like a large open plaza. His eyes darted quickly from one part to another and then his object of interest came into view.

At the far end of the plaza, there was a metallic floating humanoid machine that didn't have any limbs. Near the bottom of the machine was a conspicuous floating pod. Confronting the machine were two knights that had the same armor as the ones he saw in Karulu Village. One knight was on his knee and struggled to stand up while his companion was still engaged in battle, but he appeared to be injured and exhausted. There were noticeable burn marks on both of their armors.

"That's A.B.R., the Tower Guardian," Lyner said with alarm. "Why is it attacking humans?"

"Does it matter?" Jack asked once he caught up to Lyner. "We have to help them."

"You're right, let's go!"

Lyner and Jack got closer and stepped in front of the two knights. "Let us take care of this so get somewhere safe," Lyner ordered.

"Y-Yes, thank you," one of the knights said and hurriedly helped his companion to retreat.

A.B.R. began chasing after the knights, but Jack fired a shot at it, bringing its attention to them. "Your fight's now with us pal so you aren't going anywhere."

Lyner moved into his battle stance and was about to deliver a strike when out of the corner of his eye, a girl appeared from around the corner and nearly ran head first into A.B.R.

"Aah!" She cried out and began to slowly back away.

"Is that girl again...Aurica," Lyner said as he recognized the brunette he'd met in Karulu Village. When he saw A.B.R.'s floating pod began to spin around before it fired off red lasers at Aurica, Lyner flew in a flash towards her and deflected the incoming red lasers with his sword. "Whew, are you okay?"

"...Why did you...?" Aurica murmured, seemingly in a small state of shock.

"You should hurry and get away too." Lyner readied his blade and dove at A.B.R. with a slash to its abdomen, leaving only a minor dent. "It's armor is tough as expected. Then how about this one?" He swiftly evaded the subsequent laser attack with a simple spin of his body and made a leaping upward slash before descending like a meteorite, creating a deeper cut this time around.

Jack assisted by attacking A.B.R.'s exposed areas with rapid rifle shots, taking advantage of Lyner drawing A.B.R.'s attention away. He was using an overturn food stand as cover from a distance. He didn't have the same athletic body as Lyner so it'd be difficult for him to actually avoid any laser beams if he got too close. "Hopefully I don't run out of ammo before all of this is over." He frowned as he saw an incoming stray laser beam and ducked for cover.

Lyner continued his rush attack in the meantime, but when A.B.R. unleashed several laser beams all at once, he jumped to the side and placed his right hand on the ground as if he was doing a half cartwheel to dodge the spread attack. To his surprised, he landed near Aurica whose feet appeared to have been glued stuck to the ground. "What are you still doing here?" He demanded in a loud voice.

"Ah...I..." Aurica took only one step back, but then balls of light appeared and enveloped their bodies including Jack's. "What is this?"

"...Harmonics? Look out!" Lyner pushed Aurica out of the way of an incoming laser beam attack.

After Aurica regained her composure, she looked down near her feet at the cracked shattered area where the beam had landed.

Noticing that Jack was now drawing A.B.R.'s attention with a few accurate shots to its body, Lyner asked Aurica in a surprise tone, "Are you Reyvateil?" After she remained silent, he continued, "Then you should help us by singing a song."

"What? I can't do it." She vigorously shook her head. "I'm just a D-Class Reyvateil so I'm useless."

"D-Class?" His eyebrows furrowed in confusion. "I don't know what that is, but I'm sure you could help us." He placed a hand on her shoulder and pleaded, "Please...I think with your help, we can finish this fight a lot faster and with less damage to the city."

She gazed into his determined eyes for what seemed like a long moment and then she nodded her head, her own eyes becoming serious and determined . "Okay. I'll do it. But what should I sing?"

"Do you know any attack songs?" He asked with a grin.

"Yes, I do know one."

"Good, then sing that one and begin to charge it up."

After receiving his instructions, her lips moved rapidly and formed words from the Hymmnos language that created a ball of light above her head. A beautiful song then echoed across the area, drawing nearby citizens from their hiding spots to witness the battle.

"So this is Harmonics," Jack muttered to himself as he looked at his slightly glowing hands. "My body feels lighter and flowing with power. Let's see if we can end this battle soon!" He shouted to Lyner.

"I'm with you," Lyner replied as he charged his blade and unleashed a green wave of light. "Impulse!" The wave knocked A.B.R. into the wall behind it, breaking off a small chunk of metal.

Jack moved closer and unleashed a barrage of bullets onto the machine, but it seemed unfazed as it quickly launched itself towards Lyner who managed to evade the attack by mere inches.

A.B.R.'s surprising change of tactics didn't stop there as it spun rapidly around before laser beams shot out in all directions.

Lyner was about to find cover for himself, but when he saw several laser beams flying towards Aurica again, he leapt in front of her. This time however, he covered his body with his gauntlet and blade to shield the girl from damage. "Hrgggh," he quietly growled from the blast. When the attack was over, he lowered his guard and saw his gauntlet partially charred black and sizzling with heat.

"Why did you step in front of me?" She asked with wide eyes. "You could've just saved yourself."

"Are you stupid?" Lyner spat. "You're defenseless while singing so I had to protect you! That is what comrades do in battle. Now don't worry about me and continue singing."

"I'm...your comrade?"

"Of course. What else would we be in this battle?" And with that, Lyner readied his blade once more and reengage in combat with the machine. He lunged at it and executed a flurry of slashes that scrapped off more pieces of metal and it seemed to have stopped in its tracks.

By then, a number of citizens appeared from their hiding places and had their eyes glued to the intense battle in front of them.

Lyner quickly ran circles around A.B.R. and all the while, slowly hacking away at its armor and sending some of its pieces flying off.

A.B.R. struggled to get Lyner within its targets during his attacks so it fired off laser beams as fast as it could from many directions.

Lyner had kept a close eye on the laser beams and Aurica's location in case he had to shield her again. There was one that had almost struck him, but he leapt over it and struck A.B.R. so hard that it was sent flying into another wall. He planned to charge forward and continue his assault, but a sudden large beams shot out, causing him to awkwardly evade to the side where he tripped and fell to the ground.

A.B.R. hovered over Lyner and was about to shoot Lyner when Jack jumped out of his cover and threw a small explosive at it.

"Take this and that you bucket of bolts!" Jack screamed as he unloaded bullets after bullets onto the thick armored machine.

The attacks caused A.B.R. to turn its attention to Jack, but before it could unleash an attack, Lyner struck it hard from behind.

Lyner didn't stop there as he continued with a wild sword dance to scrap off even more of A.B.R.'s armor.

In the meantime, Aurica's energy ball that had started off as the size of a large watermelon had now became almost ten times bigger. "I...can't hold on anymore..." She warned in a pained voice, as if her body was breaking down under the large ball's weight.

With one glance at the energy ball, Lyner cleared himself from the area and ordered, "Okay, you can unleash the song now."

Without anymore delays, she threw her hands forward with a shout. "Hah!" The energy ball flew forward and it completely enveloped the machine before the ball exploded with a loud boom, shattering the nearby windows and knocking Aurica off of her feet.

After the dust cleared, they saw A.B.R. still floating above ground, but there were many cracks and holes on its armor. It appeared that it was no longer any threat, but when it began to shake violently, Lyner grew alarmed and shouted, "Damn, it's going to self-destruct!"

"Then we have to take cover!" Jack advised.

"There's no time," Lyner said before he jumped high into the air and then split A.B.R. in half on his way down. After noticing the lights on A.B.R. had turned off and that it remained motionless for a long moment, he breathed out a sigh of relief and sheathed his blade. "That was a close one." He turned to his side and saw Aurica still on the ground, looking a little dazed and confused. "Are you alright?" He leaned down and held out a hand to her.

"Huh? Ah, y-yes." She took his hand and pulled herself up. "Thank you."

It was then that a large number of citizens descended onto the plaza and it became full of loud boisterous cheers and celebration.

"When did all of these people appear?" Lyner asked with surprise.

"They were here since a while ago," Jack replied with a frown. He looked at the crowd who were pointing their fingers at Lyner and he heard the words "Apostle of Elemia" echoed around them. "You shouldn't have shown off like that," he whispered to Lyner. "People are figuring out who you are."

Lyner looked at the surrounding people who were all closely watching him with eyes full of awe. "It's not like I could help it. That's just how I fight." He shrugged his shoulders.

Jack shook his head disappointedly and said, "I'd warned you already so whatever happens, it's your fault."

Instead of answering him, Lyner returned his attention to Aurica. "Thanks again for the help. Who knows what would've happened if you weren't here."

"No I...didn't do much," she mumbled and lowered her head.

Lyner was about to something else to her, but he was interrupted by the appearance of a familiar knight.

"I heard that it was you three who stopped that machine," Radolf said, accompanied by one of the knights who had retreated earlier. "It would've been a disaster if not for your help. And thanks for saving Aurica's life as well." He nodded his head in approval. "I believe your name was...Lyner, right? We met in Karulu."

"That's right. To think we would meet again," Lyner said with a large smile. "It's good to see you again."

"The feeling's mutual. And your friend is...?" He looked at Jack who had remained silent throughout their reunion.

"I'm Jack."

"Nice to meet you Jack and thanks for your help too."

"It was nothing," Jack murmured. " _He_ did most of the work."

Radolf smiled and returned his attention to Lyner. "Will you come by the Church later? I want you to meet someone and to repay you too of course."

Lyner glanced at Jack who just shrugged his shoulders. "Okay, I'll head over when I can. I think I could use your help as well."

"Excellent! Just head south from here and cross the bridge to find our Church. It's very hard to miss." Radolf shook Lyner and Jack's hands before leaving for the Church.

Aurica followed after Radolf, but not before quickly glancing at Lyner one more time. She was expressionless so Lyner wasn't sure what she was thinking.

"Well, what do we do now?" Jack asked, rubbing his chin.

Lyner watched the church knights along with their Reyvateils provide medical treatment to some of the injured. Luckily, there did not appear to be any fatalities or any severe injuries. There were a lot of rubble, destroyed stands and collapsed walls however. "I don't have any particular destination so if the Church can help me, I think we should just go to them now rather than waste any time."

"Still in a rush, huh. I don't have a specific destination either so let's go to the Church. It's to the south so we need to find a trolley."

"Right." Lyner followed Jack out of the plaza, but he stopped for a moment and turned around. _"I feel like somebody's watching me..."_ It felt different from how the other people were watching him earlier. The gazed that he now felt was kind of...sinister. The feeling quickly disappeared however so he continued towards the Church. _"No, it's probably just my imagination."_

* * *

Aurica returned to the Church ahead of Radolf and as she sat down on a bench, looking up at the clear blue sky, she thought back to what had happened in Hoshinose Avenue. It was supposed to be a normal shopping trip, but it was interrupted by a loud commotion. Unsure of whether it was because of her duty as a member of the Church or merely her own curiosity, but she had to check it out.

_"Thanks again for the help. Who knows what would've happened if you weren't here."_

She mulled over _his_ words once again. It came as a large surprise to her because she couldn't remember when was the last time someone had thanked her.

_"Was I...useful?"_ Even though she didn't deliver the finishing blow or even did much overall, she did contribute to the battle. _"Maybe I just got lucky."_ She let out a depressing sigh.

"His name was...Lyner I think. Maybe he really is an Apostle of Elemia. If I met one, then maybe I could meet the Goddesses too."

A giddy smile appeared on her young face, unbeknownst to her.

* * *

"So here we are," Jack announced. "I admit that I never visited the Church's headquarters myself so it's a first for me too."

"It's really...big," Lyner commented upon stepping up to the large gates. There was one massive building in the center and surrounding it were many smaller buildings. None of the Church buildings were as tall as the Grand Cathedral back in Platina, but they encompassed a larger area of land. Because of the significant number of armed knights moving around the wide courtyard and the sentries posted on the tall towers made the place seemed like a military base. It wasn't as "spiritual" of a place as he had expected.

"Halt, who goes there?" A guard asked, raising his spear.

"Uh...we're expected?"

"Hmm?" The guard furrowed his eyebrow. "Blond hair wearing a different type of armor compared to our own. And a companion with a green cloak and a steel arm...You must be the heroes I heard from the Cardinal." His manner of speech suddenly changed. "Forgive me. I didn't recognize the two of you at first. Especially you o' Great Apostle of Elemia. Please proceed." He nodded to someone behind the gate before it opened.

"So this is what a V.I.P. feels like," Jack murmured as he walked through the gate and into the courtyard.

Lyner merely sighed. It wasn't long after until they met Radolf and Aurica on the way who were busy talking with a few knights and Reyvateils.

"You're here earlier than expected," Radolf greeted. "Then let us proceed to the inner sanctum."

Lyner and Jack followed Radolf and entered the large central building. As they moved through several hallways, Lyner noticed many of the knights and Reyvateils were staring at him and talking energetically with each other.

"Seems like rumors spread quickly within the Church," Jack leaned in and whispered.

Lyner mumbled something under his breath as he was growing uncomfortable with all of the attention he was receiving.

After a while, they found themselves in an audience chamber of sorts. There were a small set of stairs leading up to the upper area with a podium in the center and an organ against the wall to the left. However, what caught Lyner's eyes was the statue monument against the rear wall.

"To think there's one down here too," Lyner murmured. It was nearly identical to the one he often saw at Apsaranika Park. Now that he thought about it, he might've seen another one at Hoshinose Avenue.

Radolf approached the two knights who appeared to be standing guard in the chambers. "Is Bishop Falss around?"

"He's not in right now, Cardinal," one of the knights replied.

A trouble expression appeared on Radolf's face. "...I see. Do you know when he'll be back?"

"He should be back tomorrow."

"Is that so? Okay, thank you." Radolf returned to the group with the bad news. "I'm sorry, but the man I wanted you to meet won't be back until tomorrow."

Lyner didn't hide his disappointment, but he didn't let that get him down. "I see. But since we're here, what is this place anyway?"

Radolf was visibly surprised at the question. "Seeing as how you don't know, then I guess you really are an Apostle of Elemia since the Church's influence reaches far and wide."

Lyner didn't say anything else and instead, allowed Radolf to continue.

"But to answer your question, this is Elemia Church where our ancient Goddesses, the Trio of Elemia are enshrined."

"Trio of Elemia? I never heard of them."

"I'm not surprised because they aren't well known among the Apostles of Elemia. Through their singing, the Trio healed people, rejuvenated their lives, and advanced human technologies."

In the corner of his eye, Lyner noticed Aurica paying close attention to Radolf's explanation. "Sounds like they are amazing people."

"Yes...And rumor has it, the three Goddesses came from a time when people lived on Land and not in the Clouds. The goal of the Church is to revive the Goddesses and restore their former glory."

"So that's what the Elemia Church is about."

"Well, that's not all what we do and it isn't _our_ main mission," Radolf explained with a frowned. "It's to create a world as peaceful as that era."

"I like that idea better." Lyner nodded in approval.

"You do?" A large smile appeared on Radolf's face. "I'm happy that you agree as well!...Ah, it seems like I kept you for a while."

"No worries. I wanted to learn more about the Church anyway."

"Since you came over for nothing, let me make arrangements for a place to stay for the night. I'll have someone pick you up tomorrow." He then turned to Aurica who now appeared distracted and uninterested after the Trio of Elemia's explanation was over. "Aurica?"

"Y-Yes," Aurica answered, looking a bit flustered.

"Can you escort Lyner and Jack to the inn?"

She hesitated a moment before she agreed with a, "Yes."

* * *

The group left the Church and got on a trolley to Hoshinose Avenue where they got off. The sun had already set as the dark sky moved to take its place. Along the way, Jack didn't utter a single word while Lyner tried to start a conversation with Aurica, but it didn't seem like she was interested.

"Is it just me, but isn't the air quite...gloomy?" Jack whispered aloud.

Aurica came to a sudden halt that caught Lyner by surprised.

"What's wrong?" Lyner asked.

"I think I'm causing him to be uneasy," Aurica quietly admitted.

"Who? Jack?" Lyner looked at Jack who casually looked away. "I don't think that's true..."

With a sad smile, she said, "Why don't the both of you take some time to explore the city while I head over to the inn first? It'd be a lot more fun if you didn't have to worry about me. So once you're done exploring, please head to the inn so I can check you in. The inn isn't far from here. Just keep heading straight up the road and you won't miss it."

"Wait, Aurica!" Lyner called out to her, but she had quickly disappeared from his sight.

Jack let out a long sigh. "She is pretty gloomy you know."

"I can't believe you actually told her that," Lyner admonished with a frown.

"I didn't really intend to her hurt feelings," Jack mumbled. "It just came out. So anyway, do you want to keep looking around the city?"

Lyner stifled a yawn before answering. "Not really. I'm pretty exhausted from everything that happened today. I don't think I got enough sleep last night either."

"I kind of feel the same."

"I do want to stop by a food stand though."

"You do know there's food at the inn, right?"

"I know, but I could always use a snack." Lyner declared before he rushed off to get some food.

* * *

The inn wasn't particularly unique looking from what Lyner saw on the outside. It appeared to just be another two story building with the "Singing Moon Inn" sign posted near the top. Lyner and Jack were talking about Elemia Knights and their weapons as they entered the inn.

"So do Knights of Elemia only use swords like the one you have?" Jack asked.

"Most of them do use swords, but not all of them. Even the swords that we use are sometimes different from each other. Take mine for example." Lyner ran a hand over his scabbard. "I use a slightly bigger sword compared to most of the knights because it suits me more."

"You mean it suits your abnormal large strength, right?" Jack asked with a grin.

"I'm not sure if that's an insult or a compliment," Lyner mumbled.

They entered the inn and Lyner was surprised at the interior. To his left was a shop with many armor and weapons on display. It was probably a place where the Church knights frequent quite often for their battle needs. He wouldn't think a weapon shop would ever be found inside an inn. Not to mention what appeared to be a small bar to his right. Colorful bottles were on display behind the counter, but the bartender remains unseen.

"This is...an inn?" Lyner asked.

"It's a pretty weird one," Jack agreed. "Maybe it's up there." He gestured to the large staircase that ascended to the upper levels.

"Might as well go and check."

They ascended the stairs and found a small lobby. There was also Aurica sitting on a chair, looking incredibly bored and distracted. When Lyner cleared his throat, she quickly leapt out of her seat and frantically looked around until she saw them. "O-Oh you're here. That was fast. S-So...are you ready to check in now?"

"Yes please. We want to get to bed early since we had a long day."

"Okay, hold on a moment," Aurica said, calming down and acting like her usual self. She went over to the receptionist and said, "I would like to reserve a room for two people please. It's for those two over there."

Lyner and Jack both wave their hands when the receptionist looked at them.

"Are you a Church official?" The receptionist inquired. "Church officials can get a discount."

"Yes, please send the bill to the Church." She pulled out an identification card to show the receptionist.

"Alright, I'll get their room ready. Please give me moment."

"Thank you." She then returned her attention to Lyner and Jack. "Your room will be ready soon. And someone should come get you guys tomorrow. So get some rest you two."

"You don't have to worry about that," Lyner replied.

Aurica nodded and attempted to leave, but Lyner quickly called out to her.

"Wait!"

"What is it?" She asked, looking confused.

"Uh..." Lyner rubbed his neck in an awkward manner. "...Thank you."

She showed no reaction at first, but after a few seconds had passed, her face grew red like a tomato and she quickly turned her face away. "...You're welcome," she mumbled before hurrying down the stairs and out of the inn.

"I see how it is," Jack said as he playfully elbowed Lyner. "I didn't figure her to be your type."

Lyner furrowed his eyebrows. "What are you talking about?"

"Don't play dumb. That's why you're so concerned about her right?"

"Hmm..." Lyner crossed his arms and thought about it. "Well...she is cute."

"Aha! I knew it!" A large grin appeared on Jack's face. "So you like them young, eh?"

"Young? You make it sound like you're much older than Aurica." Lyner shook his head. "And what about you, Jack? What's your type? The inn receptionist?"

They both looked at the old wrinkly inn receptionist who was scratching her back.

"Heck no! I like women with well defined curves and an air of sophistication."

"...And where would you find such a person?" Lyner asked, narrowing his eyes.

"Where indeed." Jack looked around the room and suddenly, the entrance door opened. All eyes in the room including his turned to the woman who entered the inn. Their eyes followed her long blond hair and silky low top dress that failed to hide her supple chest. "See that woman over there, Lyner? She's drop dead gorgeous!"

This was the most animated that Lyner had ever seen Jack become as he continued to rapidly thrust his finger at the beautiful stranger. Lyner on the other hand, remained calm and uninterested. "You really think so? She's not really my type."

"N-Not your type?" Jack's jaw dropped open. "You're not normal man. Anyway, she's heading towards the bar so let's follow after her."

"Hey, wait a minute," Lyner called out to Jack who had already disappeared down the stairs. He sighed and mumbled, "I feel like this is going to lead to something troublesome."

By the time Lyner reached the bar, Jack was already deep in conversation with the beautiful woman who was apparently the bartender. She was standing behind the counter, a smile on her face as she calmly listened to Jack's speeches of love.

"Your beauty was a siren call I couldn't ignore. Your radiance shines like a star on a cold winter's night. This bar became a paradise the instant you set foot inside it."

_"How embarrassing,"_ Lyner thought.

The woman however appeared amused. "Oh how sweet. How many girls have fallen for those lines in the past?"

"None," Jack smoothly replied. "I've been saving those lines for you, sweetheart. No matter what happens, I could stare into your eyes forever." He leaned forward and placed an elbow on the counter, gazing deeply into her eyes.

"How'd you become such a smooth talker?" Lyner interjected.

"Beat it kid, can't you see you're bothering me?" Jack tried to shoo Lyner away with a wave of his hand while his eyes remained locked on the woman's eyes.

The woman placed a hand near her mouth and giggled at the spectacle. "You guys must be good friends. Is this your first time in Nemo? What's your name?"

"My name's Jack, just a humble gunner. This guy here is Lyner. And what's your name, gorgeous?"

"My name's Claire. Nice to meet you."

"Ah Claire...what a pretty name."

Lyner rolled his eyes before Jack continued.

"So Claire, do you run this joint?"

"That's right," she replied with a wide smile. "Does that surprise you?"

Jack shrugged his shoulders. "Not really. But I bet it does get tough sometimes," he said in a sympathetic tone.

"Well, I do get teased a lot," she admitted with a frown.

Jack shook his head. "That's such a shame. So if you want...I could be your bouncer."

"Thanks for the offer, but I think I'll pass," she quickly rejected without much thought. "I have to prove myself that I can run this bar by my own. I guess you might think I'm conceited." She lightly laughed to herself.

"No, that's very impressive," Jack replied, sounding very sincere compared to his earlier attempts to whoo her. "I think I like you even more now."

"Thank you. So how about a drink?"

"I'll take a vodka."

"Coming right up." She took a bottle down from the display and began pouring its liquid into a glass cup.

Lyner figured it was his cue to leave and head to bed so he turned around and took a few steps forward before a large man in thick black armor blocked his path.

"Hey fellas, got a second?" The man asked with a malicious grin.

"Sorry bud, but I'm busy so get lo-" Jack turned around and froze in his tracks.

"I need to talk to that knight guy so can you spare a moment of your time?" The man thrust a finger at Lyner.

"With me?" Lyner asked, wondering if he had met the man before. "What about Jack?" He looked at his companion, but he couldn't figure out what Jack was thinking.

"No, I only need you. I need to talk about something important with you, but it can't be here. So do you mind coming with me outside?"

Lyner knew the man was suspicious, but he was curious as to what the man wanted to talk about. There was a chance that it could help him find the Hymmn Crystal. But the man didn't wait for his answer as he left without him.

"I think I've seen that man somewhere before..." Claire murmured. "But where?"

"Jack, I'm going out for a bit," Lyner said.

"...I'll go with you," Jack decided.

"It's fine. I can take care of myself so I'll be back soon."

Jack shook his head disappointedly. "Have it your way then." He returned to his vodka as Lyner quickly head out to catch up to the man.

* * *

"Shouldn't you go after him?" Claire asked Jack after Lyner disappeared from their sights.

"You heard him. He can take care of himself since he's a capable person. So long as he doesn't do anything stupid that is." Jack took a sip of his vodka and thought about the situation.

"I think I just remembered who that man was," Claire said, a worried expression appeared on her face.

"Tenba's Second in Command, Bourd Rade, right?" Jack replied.

"That's what I'd figured. I also heard that Bourd Rade was a violent person so I think Lyner might be in danger."

Jack took another sip of his drink and nearly slammed his cup onto the counter. "Something's up," he muttered. "Damn it! I'm going after him." He dropped a few coins onto the counter and exited the inn. There was no trace of either Lyner or Bourd so he asked a few people around, but none had recalled where they went.

* * *

After Lyner left the inn, he was able to catch up with Bourd who just motioned Lyner to follow him. They continued down several side streets until they entered what appeared to be a large park. With a large grand fountain in the center and a number of beautifully crafted statues laid throughout the park, it was a marvelous scenery that could've attracted many tourists to visit the grand city. To the left, he noticed a tall spiraling staircase that lead to a high platform which seemed to overlook much of the park and the city itself.

_"This must be the Songstone_ _Park that Jack was talking about earlier,"_ Lyner thought.

By the time they had arrived, it had became quite late already and there were only a few people strolling around the park.

"Let's head further in," the man ordered with a grunt.

They continued deeper into the park and into a secluded area that was illuminated by a few lanterns. There was nobody other than them in the area.

"So what do you want to talk about?" Lyner asked after the man came to a halt.

"Let me introduce myself first," the man said as he turned to face Lyner. "The name's Bourd Rade."

"...Lyner Barsett."

"So Lyner...are you going to join the Church?"

The question placed Lyner on guard as he narrowed his eyes. "Where did you hear that?"

"It doesn't matter where I heard it. But if you do, then I'll kill you right here and now." His eyes lowered into a threatening gaze.

Lyner noticed that he was now surrounded as several men in purple armor and capes appeared a few feet behind him. "Why do you want to kill me?"

"Nothing personal," Bourd said with a grin. "I'm just following orders. So if you join, you die. It's that simple."

"Who ordered you?"

Instead of answering Lyner, Bourd relaxed his body and said, "Look, I don't want to waste your potential so let's make a deal."

"What kind of deal?"

"It's nothing much. Just work for me. I saw you fighting earlier with that robot so I know what you're capable of. And frankly, you're pretty good."

_"I think I now know where that weird gaze came from then."_ Lyner thought.

"You got an incredible power so if we team up, there's nothing that can stop us! So I'll ask you one more time...do you want to join me and become a Tenba warrior?"

"Tenba?" At that moment, Lyner recalled the time when he first went to Karulu Village. The man in the purple armor and his ill treatment of the Reyvateil. His blood boiled at the memory and he declared, "Sorry, but I'm not going to work for Tenba."

"Oh? And why is that?"

"I can't work for people who don't treat Reyvateils like human beings."

"Treat Reyvateils like human beings?" Bourd placed a hand on his forehead and bellowed out a loud laugh. His subordinates had also began chuckling as well. "They're nothing more than singing machines so once they outlive their usefulness, we simply replace them."

"You bastard!" Lyner shouted as he clenched his fists.

"I understand how you can get attached to your favorite tool, but you have to grow up sometime. So I'll ask you one more time...will you join me...or will you die right here?"

"I refuse!"

Bourd's face became grim as he pulled out the large spear that was attached to his back. "Then you leave me with no choice."

Lyner frowned and murmured, "So what they say about Tenba is true. I guess I don't have to hold back."

"Excellent, that's just what I wanted." When Bourd saw his men approach them, he held his palm out and ordered, "Stay out of it. This is a fight between me and him."

The Tenba men hurriedly moved back to more than 50 feet away without any protest.

"I always wanted to challenge an Apostle of Elemia so don't disappoint me," Bourd said as he readied his weapon.

"Don't worry, I won't." Without any further delay, Lyner drew his blade and dashed towards Bourd and unleashed an explosion of his rage, his weapon clashed loudly with Bourd's spear. _"He's...strong."_ Lyner realized as his feet slid a few inches back.

"This is great so keep it up!" Bourd thrust his spear at Lyner's unprotected chest.

Lyner intercepted and deflected the spear by only a few inches. _"This Bourd person is proving to be a lot more difficult than I'd expected,"_ he thought. There was no time to relax however as Bourd continued his onslaught with some more fast and quick thrusts. The attacks drove Lyner back with each thrust until he found himself backed up against a wall. "Shit!"

Bourd's hand reached out and grabbed Lyner's shirt by the collar, lifting him up the ground. He then thrust his spear at Lyner, but Lyner kicked forward and knocked Bourd in the chest, effectively releasing Lyner from his grasp.

Lyner followed up by unleashing a barrage of slashes at Bourd who was now on the defensive as he retreated backwards.

Bourd did a good job of evading the attacks, but one of Lyner's slashes struck Bourd's chestpiece and made a large cut on it. Fortunately for him, Lyner's blade had not penetrated through his armor so he suffered little to no damage. "As I thought, you're good!" He countered with a horizontal swipe, creating some distance between them. That's when Bourd raised his spear high above his head before slamming it into the ground, creating an earth shattering boom.

To Lyner's surprise, sharp spikes shot up from the ground in front of him. He couldn't react completely in time as a few spikes pierced part of his arm and shoulder. "Tch." He winced in pain and then saw Bourd charging toward him like a rocket. "Guess it's my turn now." Lyner pulled his blade back. "Take this!" He shot his blade forward, releasing a powerful green wave of wind towards the rampaging Bourd who braced himself for contact.

"Hrgghhh!" Using his mighty strength, Bourd withstood the immense force. "Whew, that was a close one." He dashed forward and drove his spear towards Lyner.

Swiftly parrying Bourd's spear with his own sword, Lyner launched a counterattack against Bourd before he could recover his footing. The slash cut a few pieces of Bourd's armor away. Instead of trying his luck at attacking the same area again, he jumped high into the air before diving down at Bourd who raised his own spear to fend off the attack.

With a mighty push, Bourd knocked Lyner away and he then pursued after him with a follow up swipe.

Once again, Lyner narrowly dodged the attack by ducking and quickly countered with a rising slash. The attack made contact with Bourd's chest piece, shattering it and revealing a thin partially sliced silk shirt.

"You're definitely my greatest opponent so you have something to be proud of before you die!" Bourd charged forward and began exchanging blows with Lyner. Flashes of steel help lit up the area with each impact.

When Lyner thought about switching tactics, he saw a small opening near Bourd's abdomen. _"I'll end this here."_ He aimed and thrust his sword at it, but his vision suddenly became blurry, ultimately missing his target by a few inches. As his body stumbled forward, he realized that his fatigued was catching up to him. It was as if he was constantly fighting since the day the Virus attacked Platina.

"You almost had me there, but now you're mine!" Bourd dropped his elbow down onto Lyner's defenseless back with a loud thud. As Lyner sprawled on the ground, Bourd kicked him with such force that hiss body rolled to about twenty feet away before hitting a tree trunk.

"I...can't...die...here," Lyner said, struggling to get on his feet. As a shadow loomed over him, he saw a frowning Bourd standing above him.

Bourd's foot then slammed down hard into Lyner's abdomen. "I guess even an Apostle of Elemia cannot best me without a Reyvateil."

"...Dammnit...Bourd..." Lyner painfully breathed out.

"You're still conscious? I'm impress. You Apostles are much tougher than you look. I guess I could still use you so you should feel happy to know that you can live a while longer. Hahahahhaha."

Lyner's vision suddenly became pitch black and right before he passed out, he heard Bourd said, "Get some rope and let's hurry and take him back with us."


End file.
